Aeroplane.



1. w. SMITH.

AEROPLANE. APPucmoN man 1uLY22. |912.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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AEROPLANE. APPucmoN man :uw 22. 1912.

Patented Ap. 2o, 1915.

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AEROPLANE. APPLICATION mso JuLv 22. 1912.

1,1 36,560. Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

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JOHN w. SMITH, orsoHroAGoILLrNoIs.

AEROPLANE.

Specieation of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

T0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing .at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented la certain new and useful Improvement `in Aeroplanes, ofv

which'the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved form of fuselage construction for aeroplanes and is particularly adaptedv for use 1n connection with monoplane construction.

By my invention I provide an aeroplane with a built-up inclosed body or'^`fuselage, composed of several sectionssecurely joined together in such a manner that the ventire structure is a continuous shellfor containing the propelling mechanism, the operator, and the4 controlling mechanism, such shell being constructed so as to have eliicient stream lines, asa result of which the motion of -the body through 'the air will meet with as little resistance as possible.

'My improved fuselage construction .consists of three parts, each having its-special purpose, which parts are so related and joined together that they together constitute the continuous and complete shell referred to. The first portion is what ma be termed the nose of the fuselage and is 1n the form of a cone of elliptical cross-section. This nose -portion is constructed preferably of sheet" steel and is given sufiicient" strength to support the engine and its associated parts, as well. as the tanks for fuel oil and lubricating oil which are .required for a'. structure` of thisfkind. The nose is-so con- .structed that all ofthe propelling mechanism is mounted within vor upon it, the construction being such that a closed receptacle is formed'which is entirely separated from the fuel connection so thatin case of leak or 4accident the oil cannot have access to the operators compartment. The rear end of the nose section is provided with a sheet steel bulkhead which besides giving the necessary strength to t e nose portion of the structure, serves to form a rigi and effective means for securely connecting the operators compartment to the nose. The operators compartment consists preferably of a wall suiiiciently strong to be intact when the rest of the structure is demolished, thus protecting the operator from being injured.

' Although the structure referred to is eX- ceedingly strong, it is no heavier than former types of frame-work covered with canvas. l

Sheet liber here referred to is a vegetable ber prepared with chemical reagents. The .chemical process combines the compound into a strong homogeneous mass, and the chemicals are afterward removed by soaking 1n water. Most of the water is finally dried out. The amount of water in ber varies with atmospheric conditions, even when coated with varnish. Fiber is unlike wood in that it expands in length, breadth and thickness with an increase of moisture, and contracts in all directions when dried. For

this reason a special method of construction isemployed which is hereafter brought out in the specification and claims. f

The operators compartment is preferably constructed of strips extending circumferentially around the compartment rather than longitudinally of the same, and these strips are connected together by riveting to ribs similarly disposed within the operators compartment. In this way the necessity for longitudinal ribs is avoided.J An advantage i secured by having the strips and ribs both run circumferentially around the body portion is that when they are formed and.- riveted together the parts coact in a manner f operators .compartment. The top o the compartment 'is-provided with an opening for receiving the operator and this opening is provided around its edge with a facing of fiber securely riveted to the strips and this, for' the reason pointed out above owing to f eoA vthe diii'erence in,v curvature between l it and the strips, also serves to form a very stiff and vstrong structure. j

The operators compartment-extends reari 5 wardly a suiiicient distance to.'support. thecarriying out my invention, 1 the sup*- portmg p ane or planes are rigidlysecured to the fuselage and maybewarped, ifgde# j sired, in .order to control in" @some the operation ofthe machinele-QI' prefer,

i* '225 however, to connect the outer and-rear'flexiblefportions ofthe Supporting'j-pIanes by equalizmgr cable so that any1; undue- 'res-lv sure exerted upon the" rear portion o one end ofthe supporting plane or planes 'will automatically displace the (corresponding -portion of the otherend so as to tend to* restorethe equilibrium of the machine.; The several drawings illustrating vention are -asfollowsz'- 35. Figure 1 shows in. longitudinal I:sectionalA view al monoplane provided with my f constructlon of fuselage. Fig. 2Y showsja'front 'en d view 4of:thjefparts seen inA Fig.1, the lpropeller being removed to'- more ``c :learl'y 4o-sl1ow the rest of thestruc'ture. Fig. 3 isy a sldeview ofthe operators compartment of the fuselage alone without any ofthe other y parts of the device. Fig.4 isa top view of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is aside v1 ew of the nose portion-f thefuselage F1 6 is a rear end view of the parts shown m 'g. '5. Fig. 7 is a side view. of the tail mounting of thev fuselage. Fig. 8 is afront erators compartment 'to stiifen the structure Y and provide a convenient means for ,connectf 1 15 end view of the parts shown in Fig. 7. Y g Similar numerals refer to similai` parts throughout the several views. 'Y

. As shown in Figs. 1 d 2, he monoplane consists of a fuselage lto which the'planes 2 and 3 are secured as indicated. The inner 55 ends of the planes are secured to the fuselage by any suitable means and the outer ends are A braced to the framework ofthe machine by Acables 4 and 5. VThe flexible rear portions' ofV the-p lanes 2 and 3 are connected together 60 aca le 6 which passes over a small pulleysupported by the framework, so that when` any undue ressure is exerted uponv one end of either of) the'v planes 2 and 3, the correondingiortion of the -other plane is pulled v65 ownwar by the cable 6 and thus exerts an fuel oil lfrom the tank 15.

fthe

.523 for recei upward thrust tending 'to maintain the l .equilibrium of the aeroplane. The fuselage 8 has mounted in its front endan engine '11 provided' to drive the propeller 12. The enl gine is provided with a magneto 13 and .carbureter 14,' the latter bein supplied' with.

he' tank 15 has 75l mounted upon its. front end a separate compartment or tank 16 for.co'ntaini'ng lubri- L eating o il for the engine. lThe tank 15 is j rigidly supported in a bulk-head 17- of steel (constituting the rear wall of the nose 8 and, 30'

since all of the parts of this nose. are made y of sheet steel, the resultingstructure is errtremelystiff and strong.' Furthermore, with Y the exceptionof the side doorsshown' more particularly in Figs. 5 and 6, the iose 8 is 85- Y 'wholly inclosed and, therefore, itis impos-- Y sible 4 for any of the gasolene or oil-that may. `beused toreach. the operators comparte.v Y i -me11t. If' for any reason -there should be aV leak, an opening 18 is provided'in the bot-v 90 tom/'ofthe nosejust infront of thewbulkhead -17'to permit the oil to escape from'the 'v nose directly t@ the outside of the machine.

The operators-compartment 9 is made up i j of a'plurality of strips or sheets. of fiber 19., 9.5 which` extend circumferentiallyv aroundthe fuselage, bein connected together by ribs 20 similarly therefore, be made in strips or sheets which are straight imonedirection, although they maybe curved in a second` direction, and the resultingstructure. is, ."therefore, a succession ofconical surfaces'sj joined and re- 105 lated fas to form` in veili'et a continuous curved surface having streanlines which aiorda ready passage ofthe machine through the air with a minimum amount of The ribs 20 and strips or sheets 11o v 19 arev preferably secured together by copper rivets as indicated. fiber bulkhead 215s providedin the ipipgp'arts of the framework'and supporting planes/,5to the structure. As these connec- Y tions ,are'made'to a rigid member, they are extremely' stron and reliable. vThe bulk head 21 1s provi ed with an opening or holef` V120 22 which, besides reducing the weight of the parts, affords communication'to the inf side of the rear end ofzthe operatorrs compartment to adjust the controlling mecha nism. The o rators compartment'is pro- 125 vided at its orward end v.with an opening kthe operator and this opening is provid with a double facing 24 of ber strips which are bentto conform to the corresponding surfaces'of the strips 19 130' isposed and conformed.' It Y A, is practically impossible togform this mate- 'z rial incircular curved shapes and it must, 100

'control these rudders.

The tail mbunting 10 of the fuselage is made detachable by use of bolts, as shown more clearly in Figs. 7 and 8, and consists of sheets of steel riveted together in conical form of elliptical cross-section. The fuselage is provided with a number of guiding openings 25 for leading the controlling cables 26 and 27 from the rudders 28 and 29, respectively, through the openings 2,5 to the inside of the fuselage, from which they extend to the operators cbmpartment, and are actuated in any suitable manner, not shown, so as to Controlling devices are not shown for the engine, since this may be done in a manner Well-known in the art and it forms no party of the present invention. i

The fuselage'is'provided With a skid 30 to whichan axle 31 is connected carrying thel Wheels 32,. said axle being braced to the fuselage'as indicated by braces 33. Each one of the braces 33 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may consist of two telescoping tubes. Within `the larger tube is disposed a spring, not shown, which acts as a shock absorber.

' The tail mounting is provided with a guard support 34 for protecting the rudders if the tail end of the machine should come into engagement with the ground.

`Figs.3 and 4 show in detail views somewhat more clearly than Figs. 1 and 2 the shape and construction of the operators compartment of the fuselage. As shown in these figures, the operators compartment may be provided with a Wind shield 35 of fiber having transparent windows 36 convenient to affordthe operator an uninterrupted view. Entrance openings 37 are provided Ain either side, so thatthe operator may enter#y out difficulty. The wind sh1eld35 i's'correctly, formed so that itlwill have stream lines of efficient operation as the machine passes through the air. extends preferably to the top of the wind 4.shield when the latter is used.

-As hown in Figs. 5 and 6, the nose portion of the fuselage is provided with side doors 38 hinged at 39 so that the operator may have ready access to the engine for inspection and repair. Securely riveted to the l fusilage andv disposed back 'of the Wind shield .35 is the stream line projection 40.

This projection tapers to the rear as clearly Shown in Fig. 4.

e operators com artment with- The bulkhead 21 In some instances a circumferential scamI with a liberal lap serves to dispense with the ribs 20. Such a seam is indicated at 41. Either method of securing the liber strips together may be used as desired.

While I have shown my invention in the particular embodiment herein described, I do not, however, limit myself to this particular construction, as 1 may employ many equivalents Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A fuselage for an aeroplane consisting of a metal nose for mounting the engine, an operator-s compartment, and a metal tail mounting, said operators compartment comprising a built-up structure of circumferential fiber strips and similarlydisposed fiber ribs riveted together to constitute with the nose and tail mounting a continuous inclosing shell.

2. A fuselage for an aeroplane consisting of a metal nose for mounting the engine, an operators compartment, a metal tail mounting, said operators compartment comprisin a built-up structure of circumferential fiber strips and similarly disposed fiber ribs riveted together to constitute with the nose and tail mounting a continuous inclosing shell, and a bulkhead extending transversely across the operator-s compartment thus formed. Y A Y 3. A fuselage for an aeroplane consisting of a metal nose for mounting the engine, an operators compartment, and a metal tail mounting, said operators compartment comprising a-built-up structure of circumferening shell, said nose having a bulkhead at its rear end for reinforcing the structure and `separating the propellingmechanism from the operators compartment, s

' 4. A fuselage for an aeroplane consisting of a metal nose for mounting the engine, an

. operators compartment, a. metal tail mounting, said operators compartment comprising a built-'up structure of circumferential fiber strips and similarly disposed fiber ribs riveted'together to constitute with the nose and.V tail mounting a continuous inclosingshell,

and a bulkhead extending transversely7 across the operators compartment thus formed, said operatorscompa'rtment having a' transverse 'fiber .bulkhead provided, with an opening therethrough for reinforcing the operators compartment vand providing access to the interior of therear of the same..

5. An voperators compartment for an aeroplane, comprising a shell constructed of fiber sheets, a metal nose reinforcing said compartment. Y

'6. An operators compartment for an aeroplane, comprising a shell formed of strips of ber circulriferelitislll.y disposed` and. secured-1 together and held in place by similarly disposed ribs of ber riveted to their inner surfaces, each `rib serving to selcures together twov adjacent strips of the shell. Y l 1 A7.' AnV operaetors compartment for en aeroplane, comprising va shell formed of "strips -of fiber circumferentially Adisposed and secured together and held in place by similarly disposed ribs of fiberv riveted to .theirinner surfaces, each rib serving to securetogether twoV adjacent strips of the shell, and t ber bulkhead extending transversely across the shell for reinforcing the same.

.8. An operatos-:compartment for a aeroplane, comprising a. shell formed of, I strips of ber circumferentially disposed and secured together and held in place by similarly'disposedribsv offfber riveted to v their inner surfaces,each rib serving to Se 'MARI A. COOK, ALBERTJG. McCoBB. 

